Comparisons of yeast strains containing the essential histone acetyltransferase, ESA1 or a bypass suppressor of ESA1

ABSTRACT: ESA1 (essential SAS-family acetyltransferase) is the only known yeast histone acetyltransferase (HAT) required for cell viability. It is a member of the MYST (MOZ, YBF2/SAS3, SAS2, Tip60) family of HAT proteins and contains a conserved acetyltransferase domain in addition to a chromodomain. While ESA1’s HAT activity is important in processes such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair, acetylation is likely not its essential function. Our lab has shown that mutants with a single point mutation in the active site cysteine are still viable even though their acetyltransferase abilities are abolished. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays have shown ESA1 distributed evenly along the length of chromatin, not localized to specific promoters as would be expected from a HAT protein involved in transcriptional regulation. As is the case for other HAT proteins, ESA1’s acetyltransferase activity is significant, but in processes such as DNA replication, DNA repair and cell cycle progression. The aim of this project is to determine the essential function of ESA1 - the catalytic subunit of the yeast HAT complex, NuA4 (nucleosome acetyltransferase of H4) – using a bypass suppression screen to identify suppressors of ESA1. It is proposed that suppressing mutations will alter a gene involved in the process that is the essential function of ESA1. Thus, identifying a suppressor that can bypass the need for ESA1 may provide insight into its essential function. Since ESA1 is an essential gene, a haploid esa1∆ strain in which wild-type ESA1 is provided on a centromeric plasmid was utilized. The bypass suppression screen resulted in suppressors of ESA1 that allowed esa1∆ cells to be viable even in the absence of the essential gene. These second site suppressors (sup-) of ESA1 each show the Mendelian segregation pattern of the suppressing gene and ESA1 in 2:2 ratios, implying they are single genes unlinked to ESA1. Microarray and nuclear morphology studies show abnormal gene expression and morphology of the esa1- sup- cells, further implicating the suppressing mutation in DNA repair and replication processes. Investigating ESA1’s essential role and a probable conservation of function across species can provide a deeper understanding of the capabilities of HAT complexes. Keywords: Comparison of strains lacking essential ESA1 gene to those containing an ESA1 bypass suppressor.

ORGANISM(S): Saccharomyces cerevisiae Schizosaccharomyces pombe

PROVIDER: GSE9840 | GEO | 2007/12/12

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA103817

REPOSITORIES: GEO